Citation

Bantjes J, Swartz L. Death Stud. 2017; 41(8): 512-520.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology , Stellenbosch University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07481187.2017.1333355

PMID

28532317

Abstract

The cultural turn in critical suicidology notes the limitations of dominant acontextual, biomedical, quantitative approaches to suicide prevention. Qualitative methods are idealized within this cultural turn as the only way to advance suicidology. Qualitative methods, however, also have limitations. Drawing on our research with traditional healers in South Africa, we explore tensions associated with making truth claims based on qualitative research. Turning the critical gaze on our work we consider the question of what we can claim to know about suicide prevention when investigating culture using qualitative methods. We suggest a circumspect approach to making truth claims about what the cultural turn can achieve.

Language: en

Keywords

critical suicidology; culture; suicide prevention; traditional healers; truth claims